June date announced for CTC York Cycle Show

Some 10,000 cyclists are expected to descend on the historic city of York in June to visit the annual York Cycle Show, the curtain raiser to National Bike Week, which will feature thousands of bike-friendly events across the UK.

The show, which is run by cyclists’ organisation CTC, takes place at York Racecourse on the weekend of 19th and 20th June and features a host of events aimed at bike riders of all abilities. Those include CTC’s Ron Kitching Challenge Ride, day rides, day rides, entertainers for children and adults alike, a display of vintage bikes, and mountain bike stunt shows, arena displays and exhibitions.

For those who fancy a bit of shopping, there will be a bike auction, and if you miss out in the bidding there will also be cut-price bikes and accessories on sale, as well as a second-hand parts sale. Spaces for caravans and on-site camping will be available, as well as a real ale bar and food stalls.

One of the highlights of the weekend promises to be a Grand Cycle Parade through the city from York Minster at 9.45am on the Sunday, which follows a special service for cyclists at the church which starts at 9.00am.

Paul Hepworth, Chair of the CTC York Cycle Show Committee, said: “The York Cycle Show is one of the biggest events for cyclists. Since it started in 1945, it has encouraged thousands to take up cycling. If you are a cyclist or you want start cycling it is a great place to get information, advice and a bike at a bargain price.”

He continued: “There’s also a range of guided rides around York to suit every cyclist, and be a part of the UK’s biggest mass-participation cycling event. We hope that by taking part in a Bike Week event, families will beat the credit crunch plus the health crunch, rediscover how much fun cycling is and will be encouraged to keep cycling the whole year round.”

Admission to most parts of the show is free, although if you want to visit the trade stalls, entry is by event programme which costs £2.50 for adults, with accompanied children under the age of 16 getting in free. Bike rental will be available in the city, and details of that plus the rest of the York Cycle Show can be found on the dedicated website. www.yorkcycleshow.co.uk

If you can’t make it to York but would like to participate in Bike Week events in your local area, you can find out information by entering your postcode on the Bike Week website, or by calling 0845 612 0661.

Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.